DATA CENTER POWER CONVERSION EFFICIENCY MANAGEMENT

• US 20120066519A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: El-Essawy, Wael R., Rajamani, Karthick, Rubio, Juan C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1492 having electrical distribution arrangements, e.g. power supply or data communications
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/1498 Resource management, Optimisation arrangements, e.g. configuration, identification, tracking, physical location thermal management H05K7/20836
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/18 Network protocols supporting networked applications, e.g. including control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A data center energy management (DCEM) server configures a power supply in the data center. The DCEM server sums input alternating current (AC) power of the power supply to a total AC power of the data center, wherein the total AC power of the data center is a sum of AC power of a plurality of power supplies. The DCEM server sums output direct current (DC) power of the power supply to a total DC power of the data center and reports a ratio of total AC power to total DC power as data center power conversion efficiency. The DCEM server sets a preset power supply efficiency threshold. The DCEM server determines that a real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold. The DCEM server, responsive to a determination that real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold, may remedy the power supply.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method in a power supply unit, the method comprising:

measuring input current, output currents, input voltage, and output voltages to form measured input current, output currents, input voltage, and output voltages;

calculating root mean square value of input current, and input voltage;

calculating phase angle between input current and input voltage; and

transmitting root mean square values of measured input current, root mean square value of measured input voltage, phase angle between measured input current and input voltage, measured output currents, and measured output voltages; and

increasing power efficiency among a plurality of power supply units of a data center in response transmitting the root mean square values of measured input current, root mean square value of measured input voltage, phase angle between measured input current and input voltage, measured output currents, and measured output voltages.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a real-time power efficiency based on real-time input current, real-time output current, real-time input voltage, and real-time output voltage;

looking up at least one threshold, based on at least one selected from the group consisting of measured input current, output current, input power, output power, and power supply efficiency;

determining whether the measured input current, output current, input power or output power falls within an operator selected operational range as defined by the at least one threshold; and

responsive to a determination that the measured input current, output current, input power, output power, or power supply efficiency fall outside of a corresponding operator selected operational range, transmitting an anomaly report to a second device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

connecting at least one of a plurality of variable loads to an at least one power supply output;

controlling at least one value of a plurality of variable loads connected to the at least one power supply output during an initial self test period to vary a power supply output current;

calculating power supply efficiency for each value based on measured input current, output current, input voltage, and output voltage;

looking up a threshold based on at least one selected from the group consisting of measured input current, output current, input power, and output power;

determining whether the real-time power efficiency falls below a threshold from a built-in table; and

responsive to a determination that the real-time power efficiency falls below the threshold during the self test period, transmitting a warning or error to a second device.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a plurality of thresholds that express at least one selected from the group consisting of power supply efficiency, output currents, output voltages, output powers, input current, input voltage, input power, power supply efficiency, and ambient temperature.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

connecting a variable load corresponding to at least one of a plurality values to the power supply outputs;

controlling the value of the at least one of a plurality of variable loads connected to the power supply output during a self test period to vary the power supply output current;

calculating power supply efficiency for each value based on measured input current, output current, input voltage, and output voltage to form a power supply efficiency;

multiplying the power supply efficiency by a operator selected margin factor of a value less than 1.0, to form a result;

storing the result to a built-in table as a threshold corresponding to the value;

responsive to storing the result to the built-in table, looking up a power supply efficiency threshold based on at least one selected from the group comprising measured input current, output current, input power, and output power;

determining whether the real-time power efficiency falls below a threshold from the built-in table; and

responsive to a determination that real-time power efficiency falls below the threshold during the self test period, transmitting an anomaly report to a second device.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, at the power supply unit, a query for a real-time value of a at least one of a group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage, and power supply efficiency; and

responsive to receiving the query, reporting the real-time value of a at least one of a group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage, and power supply efficiency to a source for the query.

7. A computer implemented method for managing a plurality of power supplies in a data center, the method comprising:

summing input alternating current (AC) power of a power supply to a total AC power of the data center, wherein the total AC power of the data center is a sum of each AC power of a plurality of power supplies;

summing output direct current (DC) power of the power supply to a total DC power of the data center;

reporting a ratio of total DC power to total AC power as a data center power conversion efficiency;

setting an alarm level for each of the plurality of power supplies, wherein the alarm level is a power supply efficiency threshold;

determining on a scheduled basis, that a real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold; and

responsive to a determination that the real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold, remedying the power supply.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein summing input AC power of the power supply to the total AC power of the data center comprises adding the average value of the power supply input AC power over a period of time, and summing the output DC power of the power supply to the total DC power of the data center comprises adding the average value of the power supply input DC power over the period of time.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein remedying the power supply comprises migrating at least one application dependent on the power supply to a data processing system not dependent on the power supply.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, further comprising issuing a maintenance request for the power supply.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10, wherein issuing the maintenance request further comprises issuing a purchase order for a replacement power supply.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein, the power supply efficiency threshold is based on at least one of a group consisting of temperature and PSU loading.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 12, wherein setting the alarm level further comprises setting for each combination of loading and temperature a corresponding alarm level.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein reporting the ratio of total AC power to total DC power further comprises:

displaying the data center power conversion efficiency to a dashboard.

15. A computer program product for managing a plurality of power supplies in a data center, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to configure a power supply in the data center;

computer readable program code configured to sum input alternating current (AC) power of the power supply to a total AC power of the data center, wherein the total AC power of the data center is a sum of each AC power of a plurality of power supplies;

computer readable program code configured to sum output direct current (DC) power of the power supply to an total DC power of the data center;

computer readable program code configured to report a ratio of total AC power to total DC power as data center power conversion efficiency;

computer readable program code configured to set an alarm level for each of the plurality of power supplies, wherein the alarm level is a power supply efficiency threshold;

computer readable program code configured to determine on a scheduled basis, that a real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold, wherein the power supply efficiency threshold is based on one selected from the group consisting of temperature, and loading; and

computer readable program code configured to remedy the power supply, responsive to a determination that the real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein computer readable program code configured to sum input AC power of the power supply to the total AC power of the data center comprises computer readable program code configured to replace a previous input AC power of the power supply with a real-time input AC power of the power supply.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein computer readable program code configured to remedy the power supply comprises computer readable program code configured to migrate at least one application dependent on the power supply to a data processing system not dependent on the power supply.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising computer readable program code configured to issue a maintenance request for the power supply.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein computer readable program code configured to issue the maintenance request further comprises computer readable program code configured to issue a purchase order for a replacement power supply.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer readable program code configured to average the power supply efficiency threshold for a matrix cell based on loading of the power supply and temperature of the power supply.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein computer readable program code configured to set the alarm level further comprises computer readable program code configured to set for each combination of loading and temperature a corresponding alarm level.

22. A data processing system comprising:

a bus;

a storage device connected to the bus, wherein computer usable code is located in the storage device;

a communication unit connected to the bus; and

a processing unit connected to the bus, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable code for managing the plurality of power supplies in a data center, the processing unit further executes the computer usable code to configure a power supply in the data center;

sum input alternating current (AC) power of the power supply to a total AC power of the data center, wherein the total AC power of the data center is a sum of each AC power of the plurality of power supplies;

sum output direct current (DC) power of the power supply to an total DC power of the data center;

report a ratio of total AC power to total DC power as data center power conversion efficiency;

set an alarm level for each of the plurality of power supplies, wherein the alarm level is a preset power supply efficiency threshold;

determine on a scheduled basis, that a real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold, wherein the power supply efficiency threshold is based on one selected from the group consisting of temperature, and loading; and

remedy the power supply, responsive to a determination that the real-time power efficiency level is below the power supply efficiency threshold.

23. The data processing system claim 22, wherein in executing computer usable code to sum input AC power of the power supply to the total AC power of the data center, the processing unit executes computer usable code to replace a previous input AC power of the power supply with a real-time input AC power of the power supply.

24. The data processing system claim 22, wherein in executing computer usable code to remedy the power supply the processing unit executes computer usable code to migrate at least one application dependent on the power supply to a data processing system not dependent on the power supply.

25. The data processing system claim 24, wherein the processing unit further executes computer usable code to issue a maintenance request for the power supply.

26. The data processing system claim 25, wherein in executing computer usable code to issue the maintenance request, the processing unit further executes computer usable code to issue a purchase order for a replacement power supply.

27. The data processing system claim 22, wherein the processing unit executes computer usable code to average power supply efficiency threshold for a matrix cell based on loading of the power supply and temperature of the power supply.

28. A computer implemented method for reporting power conversion efficiency information, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a query for real-time power supply efficiency; and

responsive to receiving the query, reporting the real-time power supply efficiency to a source for the query, wherein the query for real-time power supply efficiency is a query for the real-time power supply efficiency for a plurality of power supplies; and

increasing power efficiency among a plurality of power supply units of a data center in response reporting the real-time power supply efficiency to the source for the query.

29. The computer implemented method of claim 28, further comprising:

querying, by information technology equipment, each power supply unit for at least one selected from the group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage; and

calculating, by information technology equipment, for each power supply the power supply efficiency.

30. The computer implemented method of claim 28, further comprising:

measuring, by information technology equipment, each power supply unit for at least one selected from the group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage; and

calculating, by information technology equipment, for each power supply the power supply efficiency.

31. The computer implemented method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving alternating current at inputs; and

distributing alternating current to a plurality of power supplies.

32. The computer implemented method of claim 28, further comprising:

receiving direct current at an input; and

providing an information technology function.

33. The computer implemented method of claim 32, further comprising:

reporting the real-time power supply efficiency, reporting, by a data center energy management server, a ratio of total alternating current (AC) power to total direct current (DC) power as data center power conversion efficiency, wherein the ratio of total AC power to total DC power is based on information from a plurality of power supply units.

34. The computer implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

querying each power supply of the plurality of power supplies for at least one selected from the group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage; and

calculating for each power supply the power supply efficiency.

35. The computer implemented method of claim 31, further comprising:

measuring each power supply unit for at least one selected from the group consisting of input current, input voltage, output current, output voltage; and

calculating for each power supply the power supply efficiency.